Composer Rainer Fabich from Weilheim: The right music for every mood

Created: 08/12/2022, 10:00 am

By: Magnus Reitinger

The Weilheim musician Rainer Fabich recording with the singer Ira Blazejewska.

© Fabich

The Weilheim musician Rainer Fabich presents the whole variety of feelings on his new album "Emotions".

Well-known musicians will be there.

Weilheim - It is already the 18th album that the Weilheim musician Rainer Fabich has recorded with his own compositions.

And it is a very special work - with its variety, the musicians who are sometimes well-known, and with the theme "emotions" that runs as a common thread through the 16 pieces: from the "Lamento for Christa" and a "Feudentanz ' to 'Hope' and 'Lonely' to 'Adagio Triste'.

In an interview, the 63-year-old - who has also made a name for himself as a musicologist, producer and author - explains what the idea behind the album "Emotions" is and what it has to do with the pandemic.

When you pick up your new CD “Emotions”, what feelings do you feel?

Above all, joy that this project could be realized with great contributors after such a long phase of massive restrictions!

You can rightfully call this work a concept album.

What's the idea?

For as long as anyone can remember, artists of all genres have dealt with the subject of “emotions”.

On this album, a special instrument or group of instruments takes on the function of the protagonist for the respective emotion in every single track.

Emotions are definitely ambivalent.

They can paralyze, but also release energies.

How have you been in the past few months?

After an intensive "corona encounter" including a hospital in 2020, I was "allowed" to go through all these emotions myself.

At first I was paralyzed for months, then there was a creative push that resulted in two albums.

The CD "Emotions", released by Fajora Music.

© Fajora

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How can one imagine the process of creating the album "Emotions"?

I recorded a lot myself, some musicians came to my studio or sent me the tracks they had recorded themselves.

I visited others and we worked together on site.

Matthias Schriefl, for example, whose touring movie “Auf Tour – Z'Fuaß” is currently showing in the cinemas, played the complete wind section of “Curiosity” spontaneously, as if intoxicated.

Anna Rehker and Wolfgang Lackerschmid improvised with cello and vibraphone.

I reassembled what was recorded and developed my own musical themes, rhythms and harmonies.

This is how “longing” and “hope” came about.

Berthold Schick, the alphorn guru from the Allgäu, emailed me all traces of my "alphorn impressions".

I wrote specially tailored pieces for Maharani Chakrabarti and Chrisa Lazariotou,

which also refer to their personal background.

I worked on the song “Interesse” with Ira Blazejewska.

She wrote the lyrics first and I wrote the music, she then sang it herself.

For Otto Göttler's "Bavarian Feelings" I composed new parts to a piece that originally came from him alone.

The drums were recorded by Thomas Simmerl in Munich, the final mix took place in the Backyard Studios in Kempten.

It was very important to me to also implement current discussions in terms of gender justice: almost half of all participants are women.

which originally came from him alone.

The drums were recorded by Thomas Simmerl in Munich, the final mix took place in the Backyard Studios in Kempten.

It was very important to me to also implement current discussions in terms of gender justice: almost half of all participants are women.

which originally came from him alone.

The drums were recorded by Thomas Simmerl in Munich, the final mix took place in the Backyard Studios in Kempten.

It was very important to me to also implement current discussions in terms of gender justice: almost half of all participants are women.

The influence of the corona pandemic on this project was very large in many respects.

Rainer Fabich

How much did the pandemic affect this project?

The impact was huge in many ways.

Feelings such as fear, sadness or anger were massively increased during this time.

They were the initial spark for the project.

Suddenly, however, many of those involved had time to participate due to a lack of opportunities to perform in the lockdown because they were at home and not on tour somewhere in the world.

The difficult situation of the artists was also somewhat alleviated by the pandemic, for example through the federal government's restart aid for culture.

This project was only possible because of this.

Among the musicians are many well-known names from the southern German scene.

What criteria did you use to select them?

Factors such as uniqueness, ability, personal sympathy and the joy of working together were decisive for me.

The genres and styles on this album are as diverse as the emotions are – from klezmer to metal, from alpine to Indian sounds.

Aren't you worried about overwhelming some listeners?

Of course, there are hardly any listeners who like all of these styles.

That's why the reactions to individual pieces have been very different so far, sometimes totally contrary.

What is too crazy for one person is completely normal for another.

But if feelings can be extreme, then of course the musical counterpart has to be too.

"Hate" with fabric softener just doesn't work.

In the meantime, individual titles have also become much more important thanks to digital platforms such as “spotify” and their playlists.

Everyone gathers what they want to hear or what is suggested to them.

Sales figures are probably a difficult gauge for such an album.

How do you define "success" in this case?

The reactions of musicians and representatives of the industry were consistently very positive.

That's the most important thing for me when it comes to success.

The other things come by themselves or not... So far all my pieces have been on radio and television.

There have also often been the unexpected, for example when my works are premiered at the National Opera Center in New York, when they end up in an American television series 30 years after they were created, or when they are played by the local brass band in the Hofbräuhaus.

Numerous Tik Tok users are now also producing their own clips based on my music.

That can be very weird.

Somehow it's totally crazy: You bring something into the world and it develops a life of its own that you would never have dreamed of before.

Will music from "Emotions" also be heard live?

Yes, on November 16th in the Munich Domagk studios.

The CD "Emotions"

as well as other albums and volumes of music by Rainer Fabich are available at www.fajora.de.

The pieces are available digitally on spotify and other platforms.

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